U.S. Troops And NATO Allies Train For Afghanistan Mission

HOHENFELS, GERMANY – MARCH 19: U.S. soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy, conduct a patrol through a mock Afghan village during a training exercise at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center only weeks before the 173rd will deploy to Afghanistan on March 19, 2012 near Hohenfels, Germany. Though the Pentagon plans to possibly pull out two U.S. Army infantry brigades based in Germany in an effort to reduce costs, the U.S. military?s strong presence in Germany will likely continue, both due to the U.S. roll in NATO as well as the support the German bases provide for U.S. overseas military commitments. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)